Archive » February 10, 2011

SHERIFF'S BLOTTER

Deputies stopped a man in Santa Ynez because he had tinted front windows. They spoke to the driver, who told them he did not have a driverís license and was on parole. Deputies arrested the man and searched the car. Inside they found marijuana, a switch blade and beer in the trunk; all violations of the manís parole. He was booked into jail on various charges. The manís girlfriend said the car belonged to her father and that she knew the man did not have a driverís license. She was cited for letting someone drive who did not have a license.

Jan. 29

A man of freedom

A low-speed chase through the streets of Santa Ynez ended with one man in jail. A deputy started following the man after he ran a stop sign. The deputy watched as the man swerved in his lane, peeled out and almost hit two cars. The deputy followed behind the man with his lights and sirens but the man didnít stop until he had made several more turns. He was ordered to drop his keys outside of the truck so he couldnít drive off. The man said he was upset because his girlfriend was cheating on him and was trying to get home. He said he spent the evening at a restaurant and only had one glass of wine Ė witness would later report that he was at a saloon not a restaurant. The man was initially cooperative with deputies and gave a breath test that showed a .20% blood alcohol level. He was arrested and taken to the hospital because he said he also wanted a blood draw. But when they got to the hospital the man started arguing with deputies, ďIím a fighter, Iím a man of freedom,Ē he said. He demanded to be read his rights though they had already been read to him when he was arrested and stuck his legs outside of the patrol car so deputies couldnít close the door. He told them that he wasnít under arrest and said he would sue them because they were ruining his life and would take away his pilotís license. The man was booked into jail.

Just one?

A man straddled the center median and then the shoulder line before being stopped by a deputy on Highway 246. He was asked if he had consumed alcohol but told deputies he hadnít had any. The man had trouble with some basic sobriety test and later admitted to drinking wine before he started driving to Solvang from Santa Barbara. CHP officers took over the investigation and the man was booked for DUI.

Jan. 26

Tool thief with a twist

Chumash Casino security spotted a man stealing tools from the back of a truck and called deputies. Deputies found the man in the custody of security and spoke with him. He was very intoxicated and couldnít remember what the truck looked like that he had stolen from. He told deputies that he drank 20 beers and had a hard time standing. He was arrested and taken to jail.
No signal
Someone took a cell phone from the front seat of a car parked in Solvang. The victim said he went into a store for about 15-minutes and found the phone missing when he returned. He said the car was unlocked and the windows were rolled up. The man said he searched his car and the area around his car several times but didnít find anything. He said the phone was valued at about $130. The case was suspended pending leads.

Jan. 25

Thousands stolen from ID1

A storage area belonging to the Santa Ynez River Water Conservation District Improvement District One (ID1) was broken into and thieves made off with more than $16,000 in copper. Deputies were called out by a district employee who said he, along with other employees had discovered several padlocks cut when they came in for work. The items stolen included spools of copper wire and coils of copper tubing. The spools were kept hidden and were secured by both chains and padlocks. The tubing was also kept under padlock but thieves managed to cut though the locks and steal six wire spools and five tubing coils. District employees said the copper was very heavy and could have taken four or more men to move it. Deputies said there were no finger prints discovered and the thieves may have used gloves. They also said, based on drag marks, the thieves were careful not to make any noise. A deputy said he suspected whoever took the copper was experienced at this kind of crime. A district employee said they had been burglarized about two years before and had beefed up security since then.

Jan. 26

Sit still

Deputies on patrol at the Chumash Casino spotted a man who looked familiar and was acting strangely. They spoke to him and he told them he was on parole from county jail. He kept spinning in his chair and didnít seem to be able to sit still. At first, he told deputies that he hadnít used drugs in about two months but then admitted, ďIíll be honest with you. (I used) about a day ago.Ē A urine test confirmed his statement and he was booked into jail.

Jan. 24

On my way

A man ran a stop sign in Solvang and was pulled over by a deputy. He told the deputy that he did not have a license but was on his way to the DMV to get one. A records check showed the man had never been issued a license and he was cited. The car was turned over to his licensed passenger.

Long visit

A deputy stopped a man who was driving without his headlights on down Highway 154. The man gave deputies a Mexican passport and said he was visiting the U.S. After questioning, the man admitted that he lived and worked in the area for more than six years. He said that he did not have a license and neither did his passengers. He was cited for unlicensed driving.

Repeat offender

A missing brake light got a man pulled over in Solvang. He told the deputy that he didnít have a driverís license, and a records check showed he had two previous violations for unlicensed driving. He was again cited and his car was impounded.

Shirt off her back

Near midnight, deputies came across a car blocking a lane of a rural road near Santa Ynez. The driver of the car was passed out and not wearing a shirt. Deputies knocked on the window of the car for almost a minute until they opened the door to help the still unconscious woman. She began to wake up but was groggy. She thought she was in Sacramento and was unable to put her shirt on, though she tried several times. Deputies found a container of marijuana along with 32 open beer bottles in the car. She was arrested and booked into jail.

Jan. 23

Knowing and doing are different

A man driving without a license told deputies he knew he shouldnít drive but had switched with his girlfriend because she wasnít feeling well. The car he was driving was stopped because it had a burnt-out license plate light. When deputies looked inside, they found three people Ė two of them licensed drivers. The unlicensed person was driving, he said he was only trying to help but agreed that he would not drive until he got a license. The car was turned over to one of the passengers, and the man was given various citations.

He did nothing wrong (except transport marijuana)

A man was not happy about being pulled over for driving without headlights on Highway 154. He threw his hands up in the air and told deputies there was no reason to pull him over. A deputy explained the daytime headlight rule to him and asked why his car smelled distinctly like marijuana. The man said he didnít know, but when asked for his driverís license he told deputies it was in his backpack. He was hesitant to hand the bag over, but a deputy told him they would prefer to retrieve the license for their safety. The man handed the bag over and deputies found his license along with a bottle of marijuana. The man was cited and released at the scene.

Suspended license

A combination of not using headlights on Highway 154 and not signaling for a turn got a man pulled over. He told deputies that he lived and worked in the area for the past three years but did not have any identification on him. A records check showed the manís license was suspended and he was cited.